A happier time shown here of Larry O'Connell, one of the original "Englewood East road warriors," and his daughter, Cynthia Blauch. O'Connell, 82, died Oct. 11. He had been a community activist in Englewood East in the 1990s.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY CYNTHIA BLAUCH

A happier time shown here of Larry O'Connell, one of the original "Englewood East road warriors," and his daughter, Cynthia Blauch. O'Connell, 82, died Oct. 11. He had been a community activist in Englewood East in the 1990s.

Text Size:

As an Englewood East resident, whenever I drive on Winchester Boulevard North, I have to thank the Englewood East “road warriors” — Rocky DiGiorgio, Jack Donkel, Bruce Pomeroy and Larry O’Connell.

Battling for Winchester in the 1990s, the road warriors’ persistence — as well as the cooperative efforts between former Charlotte County commissioner Mac Horton and former Sarasota County commissioner Shannon Staub — saw the completion of Winchester Boulevard North from State Road 776 to South River Road in 2002.

You are currently not logged inBy logging in you can see the full story.